Incredible views along the Ruaha river. Contact me to organize a walk in this incredible place.

May & September saw our walking safari training team in
action again in Ruaha National Park. We approached our 3rd and 4th
sessions for SPANEST with new energy and the confidence of having two sessions
already under our belts. With 24 rangers per session we had our work cut out
for us, but with the highly qualified team we ploughed forward.

Each course began with a first aid component. Wilderness Medical Associates provided the accredited Wilderness Advanced First Aid course
with a focus on anticipating, preventing, and ultimately dealing with medical
issues that could arise not only in the walking safari environment, but also in
the general duties of a national park ranger.

Mike Webster gets the practice going in patient assessments.

The next component was the safe and competent use of the
large calibre rifles that are recommended for walking safaris. Unfortunately
many walking safaris in Africa are set up for disaster should the unlikely
occur and a life threatening encounter with a potentially dangerous animal
happen. Worth mentioning and on a very positive note, Ruaha National Park now
provides rangers who are walking with suitable rifles and equipment.

Simon Peterson & Christoline Motta assessing a ranger in proficiency.

The final component of the training was an intense immersion
in walking wildlife. We spent hours on the ground practicing walking in
proximity to potentially dangerous wildlife, avoiding detection, extracting
from situations, and ultimately decision making in order to prevent
compromising situations that could result in stressing wildlife and stressing
clients.

Following an elephant bull and learning about how to use wind direction, cover, and predicting the animals movements to view without disturbing.

Some things have to be taught in the classroom. Here Simon Peterson revises shot placement.

Elephant watching on foot is exhilarating. In the heat of the day, the elephants come to the Mwagusi to drink the cool water filtered by the sand. The river bank provides a great safe vantage point to watch unobtrusively.

Magesa, a ranger from Sadaani National Park discusses the interesting lives of Grey-capped Social Weavers. A walking safari is more about the little things.

Rangers enjoy a beautiful scene with a small herd of elephants drinking in the river bed. Watching behavior is important in learning about predicting what might happen and making decisions to avoid any confrontation.

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by Nicol Ragland Photography

Identity

I am a guide and guide trainer working in East Africa. I love adventure and the solitude and peace that comes from being in the wilderness. It has led me on a search to learn as much as I can about the larger forces and concepts, as well as little intricacies and beauties in nature. I am a strong believer in conservation that is sustainable and that recognizes indigenous and other people's rights.